I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 40

Bai Qian couldn’t exactly expose her father as the culprit behind the soaked furniture, so she was forced to take the fall.

“In that case,” she said with a wry smile, “could a scheming woman like me ask little Fu Siwan for the chance to stay in this room?”

Fu Siwan’s rejection was instinctive. “No. I don’t like sleeping with other people.”

Bai Qian couldn’t help but chuckle. “Little Fu Siwan, have you forgotten? This is my house. And for the record, I am the owner of this room.”

The atmosphere around the girl plummeted. Her eyes narrowed, and her expression took on a look of pampered grievance she wasn’t even aware of. “So? If I don’t let you sleep here, are you going to kick me out?”

Bai Qian: Wait, what?

She swore she was only joking! She was the one being inconvenienced, yet this girl was the one acting offended!

“Of course not,” Bai Qian said, falling back into her habit of coaxing the “little rabbit.” She yielded once again to the girl’s pout. “I told you, think of this as our second home. Whatever you do at the apartment, you can do here.”

Only after those gentle words of comfort did the girl’s reddening eyes stop threatening to spill those troublesome “golden tears.”

Having been thoroughly spoiled, the young girl felt no guilt as she essentially evicted the owner from her own bedroom. She flicked off the light and lay down, but between the unfamiliar environment and her racing thoughts, sleep refused to come.

The house was deathly silent.

Fu Siwan found herself wondering: Where is Bai Qian sleeping? The bed and the main sofa were both out of commission. Was she sleeping on the living room rug? It was so cold out—what if she caught a cold?

She tried to force the woman out of her mind. She warned herself not to be “crazy”—that these inappropriate emotions had to be strangled in the cradle.

Unfortunately, feelings don’t come with an on-off switch. You can’t control them through sheer willpower. Bai Qian’s gentleness and indulgence had, over the course of their daily lives, transformed into something invisible but omnipresent. It was terrifying. She felt as though the very air in the villa was saturated with the woman’s scent.

The emotions she tried to suppress eventually expanded until they were uncontrollable.

*****

Bai Qian was relieved to find that her father had only ruined the largest sofa. A smaller one set to the side was a bit cramped, but if she curled up tightly, she could manage.

She managed to lie down, but “manage” was the operative word. She had never slept in such a posture, and the physical discomfort kept sleep at bay.

Suddenly, the guest room door creaked open. Bai Qian, fully awake, snapped her eyes open.

The living room was dark. Fu Siwan stood with her back to the room, her face almost entirely veiled in shadow. Her expression was unreadable.

“I’ll only sleep with you for one night,” she muttered.

Bai Qian’s brain stalled for a few seconds before she processed what the girl had said. She was smart enough not to ask questions—if she said the wrong thing and the “rabbit” changed her mind, she’d be back on the cramped sofa in a heartbeat.

The moment Bai Qian’s head hit the pillow in the bedroom, exhaustion finally claimed her. Within minutes, she was out.

Fu Siwan lay on the other side of the bed, eyes wide open in the dark. A long time ago, she had slept in the same bed as this woman, but she had been unconscious then. This was the first time she had chosen it.

The distance between them was significant, yet she was surprised to find that she felt no revulsion—no urge to push away. She couldn’t describe her thoughts; perhaps she had no thoughts at all.

She was just, quite suddenly, very tired.

*****

The next morning, Bai Anjun bumped into Bai Qian as she was leaving her room. He beamed at her. “Morning, Qian! How did you and your girlfriend—oops, I mean, your female friend—sleep last night?”

Bai Qian, having no other recourse, resorted to threats. “Dad, if you pull another childish stunt tonight, I’m not staying. I’ll drive back tonight.”

The man immediately looked wounded. “I’m doing this for your own good! You ungrateful girl, you’re turning twenty-nine after the New Year! Siwan isn’t even twenty. There are so many young girls in college; if you don’t secure her now, you won’t stand a chance later! You have to strike while the iron is hot!”

She laughed. “By that logic, if I ‘secure’ her now and she goes to college and meets someone younger and better, won’t I just get dumped anyway? Why put in all that effort?”

Bai Anjun shook his head in disagreement. “That’s where you’re wrong. In love, the process is what matters. If Siwan eventually runs off with someone else, it just means she wasn’t worth your love. But trust me—your dad’s a good judge of character. Siwan isn’t the type to be fickle. If she truly falls for you, she’ll stay for good.”

Bai Qian didn’t deny that. In the original plot, after all, the female lead loved the “scumbag” protagonist to the point of self-destruction. She didn’t want to discuss this further; if the girl woke up and overheard them, it would be a disaster.

“I’m hungry, Dad. What’s for breakfast?”

“You’re changing the subject!”

Bai Qian winked. “Is that a crime? Or are you refusing to cook for me?”

The man huffed. “Fine. But don’t come crying to me later when you regret not letting me help more!”

*****

Since the housekeeper was off for the holidays, Bai Anjun was in charge of the meals. Just as Bai Qian finished setting the table, Mo Qingqing and Fu Siwan appeared at the dining room door.

Noticing the awkwardness in Siwan’s smile, Bai Qian walked over and naturally took her hand. She greeted her mother before turning her attention to the girl. “I had my dad make some savory pork congee. Shall I get you a bowl?”

“No need,” Fu Siwan replied. “I’ll get it myself.”

Bai Qian leaned in close, her voice a low murmur near the girl’s reddening ear. “You don’t have to put on an act in front of my parents. However you ‘enslave’ me at home, you’re free to do the same here.”

The voice was low, meant only for the two of them, but it made the girl incredibly nervous. She shot a cautious glance at the man in the apron serving congee, and only when she saw he wasn’t looking did she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The girl’s “timid quail” routine was almost too cute to bear. Bai Qian resisted the urge to pinch her earlobe and instead led her to the table. She sat right beside her, staying close to the shy girl throughout the meal—a silent expression of her protective gentleness.

Fu Siwan had expected the meal to be an ordeal. Instead, it was surprisingly relaxed. The adults didn’t overwhelm her with hospitality or prying questions; they simply ate quietly, treating her as if she were a long-time member of the family.

The silence wasn’t awkward; it was filled with a poignant warmth. Fu Siwan looked down at her lap, where Bai Qian’s hand was still firmly holding hers beneath the table.

Without saying a word, the woman was telling her: I’m right here with you.

*****

Fireworks were banned in the city, but they were allowed on the beach. That afternoon, Bai Qian took the girl out to buy supplies, returning with a massive box of fireworks.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Bai Qian—the only one who hadn’t touched the alcohol—drove the family to the shore. A government-sponsored display was scheduled for midnight, so the beach was already crowded. They arrived early enough to snag a front-row spot.

Out of the four of them, only Bai Anjun was truly excited. He dragged Mo Qingqing off to have some “couple time,” leaving Bai Qian and Fu Siwan alone. Before he left, he grandly presented them each with a sparkler.

Bai Qian lit them, the golden sparks cascading from the tips. Both of them stood there with blank expressions, showing zero traces of the joy one might expect.

Fu Siwan handed the burnt-out stick back to her. “This is boring.”

Bai Qian nodded. “Agreed. Not much ‘holiday spirit’ here.” She tossed the waste into a nearby bin. “My dad loves it, though. We’ll head back as soon as the main show is over.”

The girl, dropping her usual impulsiveness, gave a quiet, obedient “Mm.”

“Want to wait in the car? It’s too crowded out here for my taste.”

Bai Qian had the same thought. She took the girl’s hand to lead her away, but before they could move, the young couples around them began a frantic countdown:

“Three!”

“Two!”

She realized what was happening and looked back. Just as the crowd roared “Zero!”, a thunderous boom erupted over the ocean.

Being so close, the sound made Bai Qian jump. She immediately turned to look at Fu Siwan. The shock was much worse for the girl; she was frozen in place, her body trembling uncontrollably from the sensory overload.

Fu Siwan’s eardrums throbbed with pain. Before she could even process the first blast, a second one exploded. The rapid-fire stimulation sent tears of shock streaming down her face.

She finally realized she needed to hide. But as she moved to step back, a pair of warm hands reached out, firmly covering her ears.

Fu Siwan looked up. Through her blurred vision, she saw the woman gazing at her with a look of pure tenderness. Against the backdrop of the exploding, beautiful chaos of the fireworks, Bai Qian looked heart-stoppingly radiant.

Another firework burst. This time, Fu Siwan wasn’t afraid. The sound in her ears was gone; the only thing she could hear was the sound of something blooming in her own heart.

Bai Qian asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

The tears held in her eyes finally spilled over. She reached up, gripping the hands that covered her ears. Her hold was tighter than it had ever been.

“No,” Fu Siwan whispered, a tearful smile breaking across her face. “Sister… I think I’ve finally gone mad. How could I be alright?”

Support